Molded pulp article



July 9, 1 935. R; L. EMERY 0 MOLDED PULP ARTICLE Filed June 21, 1932 F" .5 a a W 3 C 9 I Illa-3 I haven/2'01- fliclzaz'd .mezy

fill'orlaqy Patented July 9, 1935 PATENT OFFICE j MOLDED PULP ARTICLE Richard L. Emery, Waterville, Maine, asslgnor, by mesne assignments, to The Canal National Bank of Portland, Portland, Maine, at national banking association of Maine, trustee.

Application June 21, 1932, Serial No. 618,463

14 Claims.

Among the common articles of smokers accessories are supporting trays for holding lighted cigarettes, cigars or pipes and for receiving loose ashes, tobaccoand refuse. It is important that these be made available in such number and so readily distributable that their use will be encouraged and ashes not be spilled and so that lighted cigarettes or cigars will not do damage to furniture on which they might be carelessly laid. Inexpensive devices of this sort have come into very general use but there is an unfulfilled demand for such articles of improved character producible at so low a cost that they may be freely purchased by the user or even distributed for advertising.

It is furthermore desirable that such devices be kept clean and free from soot, stain andother unpleasant remainders of use. One great difficulty with previous devices has been that in an effort to produce a low cost article they have been made so light as to be instable and apt to be overturned and the contents spilled. My invention contemplates such articles so constructed as to be of maximum serviceability and of minimum cost.

While paper or cardboard trays are generally inflammable or too combustible for sparks, coals or hot ashes, I am able in accordance with my invention to construct from inexpensive pulp stock such as that of wood fibre, by molding to smooth hard surface forms which are capable of remaining upright and which will support not only cigarettes but even larger articles, such as cigars or pipes.

My invention further contemplates making such articles as shells 'or members which can be assembled or nested. This offers a great advantage in that it provides for ash trays of considerable weight and thickness in assembly, while consisting of detachable replaceable members which can be removed when full or soiled and can be thrown away and readily disposed of. These and various other advantages will more fully appear from the following disclosure and description of the constructions involved. A characteristic embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawing which well illustrates the principles, and while illustrative and capable of modification and variation is a convenient and commercially practical structure. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is' a view showing a central section through a tray in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 a general view of such an article in use, and

Fig. 3 a side elevation illustrating detachability.

In the form shown the article is externally of generally frustro-conic shape having a side flaring outer wall I having an external flange or base 2. The upper edge of the wall I is molded as at 3 and downturned as at 4 to an annular bottom 5 which is raised sufficiently above the plane of the base flange 2 to provide air spaces and thus afford insulation for any surface T on which the tray may be resting.

-Within the bottom portion 5 is another annular ridge constituting a parapet and consisting of an outer wall 6 and an inner wall 1 disposed in general angular relation so as to form a circular ridg'e on which a cigar or cigarette may be supported as shown in Fig. 2. An integral bottom 8 is provided within this parapet so that the whole constitutes a central crater-like cup or pocket for loose ashes. The bottom 8 is also raised above the base level of the flange 2 and preferably in the same plane as the annular bottom 5.

The outer edge 3 of the enclosing conical walls I and 4 is crenelated as at 9 by depressions having inclined bottoms l8 which slope in towards the edge ll formed by the walls 6 and I. The angle of the portion I is such as to line up with this edge ll thus firmly supporting the cigar or cigarette (indicated at C) with its lighted end overhanging the edge II and disposed above the bottom 8 of the crater-like center.

The members being thin, uniform and closely nesting may be tightly assembled and readily handled but the upper member may be easily detached as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 3, by prying up on the flange 2 of the edge, exposing a fresh surface. The detached member can be then thrown away with its contents. Additional units can be added as desired to create or maintain any desired thickness or weight in the total assembly. a

The individual tray-units may, of course, be made of any desired thickness and each being complete in itself may be used individually where desired. The channels and ridges are so proportioned and of such angularity that they have ready draught from the mold and as above described nest closely where assembled in multiple use or in packing for shipment. These articles may carry any desired lettering or decorating and this may be done in the molding or may be applied as printing, as for example, in the outer face of the wall I (as indicated in Fig. 2) or the inner face of the bottoms 5 and 8 (not indicated).

The fibre mix may be of any convenient materials and proportions and may include fire resistant-materials such as asbestos or fillers such as infusorial earth or clay or sizings or impregnaing of pulp of substantially uniform thickness tions, such as silicate of soda and like fire proofing or fire resisting materials. By molding on toraminous dies these articles may be made with great uniformity and with any desired surface finish as by pressing in the dies which may be heated where a particular resistant surface is required. The articles may be variously shaped and proportioned as may be desired, all without departing from my invention it within the limits of the appended claims.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A smokers accessory comprising a plurality of relatively thin interfitting tray-like members of substantially uniform thickness and formed 'with a crenelated external annulus of inverted V-shaped cross section, and an inner annulus 01 like section concentric to said outer annulus, each member having a bottom integral with and connecting said annulae and vertically spaced from the bottom base plane of the outer annulus, each member being removably interfitted with those next adjacent.

2. A smokers accessory comprising a plurality of relatively thin interfitting tray-like members of substantially uniform thickness and formed with a crenelated external annulus of inverted V-shaped cross section, and an inner annulus or like section concentric to said outer annulus but having its upper edge disposed below that of the outer annulus in line with the bottoms of the crenelations, each member having a bottom integral with and connecting said annular: and vertically spaced from the bottom base plane or the outer annulus, each member being detachably interfitted with those next adjacent.

3. A smokers accessory comprising a plurality of interfitting tray-like members of fibrous material each consisting of pulp 01 substantially uniform thickness having an external annulus of inverted V-shaped cross section having radial cren elations in its upper edge, and an inner annulus oi! like section concentric to said outer annulus,each member having a bottom integral with and connecting said annulze and vertically spaced from the bottom base plane of the outer annulus, each member being removably interfitted with those next adjacent.

4. A smokers accessory comprising a plurality of interfitting tray-like members of fibrous material each consisting of pulp oi! substantially uniform thickness having an external annulus o! inverted V-shaped cross section having radial crenelations in its upper edge, and an inner annulus of like section concentric to said outer annulus but having its upper edge disposed below that of the outer annulus substantially in line with the bottom of the crenelations, each member having a bottom integral with and connecting said annulae and vertically spaced from the bottom base plane of the outer annulus, each member being detachably interfitted with those next adjacent.

5. An ash tray comprising a member of fibrous material consisting of pulp of substantially uniform thickness having an external annulus of inverted v-shaped cross section, and an inner concentric annulus of like section concentric to said outer annulus but having its upper edge disposed below that of the outer annulus, said member having a bottom integral with and connecting said annular and vertically spaced from the bottom base plane of the outer annulus.

6. A smokers tray ot flbrous material consist- -having a broad based frusto-conical outer wall having crenals and a recessed inner portion depressed below the upper edge of the outer wall but spaced above the base of the frusto-conical outer wall and an inner parapet concentric with but lower than the outer wall and having an ash receiving depression also spaced above the base of the outer wall, the bottoms of said crenels being inclined to the inner parapet edge whereby a cigar or cigarette end may be supported freely over the central depression.

7. A receptacle comprising an external raised portion of inverted V-shaped cross section, a spaced internal raised portion of like cross section and a bottom extending across the space separating said V-shaped members, said external raised portion having a. substantially horizontal rim enclosing the same and affording an extended relatively flat stabilizing bearing adapted to prevent accidental tipping of the receptacle when placed on a support.

8. A receptacle comprising an external raised portion of inverted V-shaped cross section, and a spaced internal raised portion of like cross section, and a bottom extending across the space separating said V-shaped members, said tray consisting of a substantially uniform thickness of pulp and adapted to be closely nested in interengaging separable relation with similar trays, said external raised portion having a substantially horizontal rim enclosing the same and affording an extended relatively fiat stabilizing bearing adapted to prevent accidental tipping oi! the receptacle when placed on a support.

9. An ash tray, comprising spaced inner and outer raised supporting portions and a bottom extending across the space separating said raised portions, that portion of the bottom which is enclosed by said inner raised portion constituting a receiving recess over which the lighted end of a cigarette or the like is adapted to be supported by said inner raised portion and that portion or the bottom which is disposed between said raised portions constituting an independent receiving recess enclosing said first named recess but spaced therefrom by said inner raised portion, said external raised portion having a, substantially horizontal rim enclosing the same and affording an extended relatively flat stabilizing bearing adapted to prevent accidental tipping of the receptacle when placed on a support.

10. An ash tray, comprising an outer wall, the lower edge of which extends as a substantially horizontal enclosing rim aflording a relatively flat stabilizing bearing or base and the upper edge of which constitutes a support for a cigar or cigarette intermediate of its ends, an inner raised portion spaced from said outer wall, the upper edge or said inner raised portion constituting a support for the inner end of the cigar or cigarette, and a bottom integral with and connecting said outer wall and inner raised portion, and disposed in a plane above the plane of the lower edge of said outer wall whereby to provide an air-circulating space between said bottom and any support upon which the rim of the outer wall of the tray may rest.

11. An ash tray as claimed in claim 10, wherein that portion of the bottomwall which is enclosed by said inner raised portion constitutes a receiving recess and that portion of the bottom wall intermediate 01' said outer wall and said inner raised portion constitutes an independent receiva,oor,sas

insrecessenclosinzsaidiirst-namedreoeasbut spaced therefrom by said inner raised portion.

12. A receptacle, comprisina an external raised portion of inverted V shaped cross section preseating an outer and an inner wall, a bottom wall intesral with and eonnectins said inner wall and defining therewith an included receiving recess. and a substantially horisontal rim enclosin: said outer wall and aiiordin: an extended relatively flat stabilizing hearing adapted to prevent accidental tipping oi. the receptacle when placed on a support. Y

7 13. A receptacle as claimed in claim 12, wherein themaior area of said bottom wall is disposed at a sliahtlv higher elevation than the support-' contactins surface of said extension rim to aiiord I an air space between said bottom wall and the support on which the receptacle is placed.

14. A receptacle comprisins spaced concentric outer and inner wall portions of inverted substantiaiiy V-shaped cross-section defining respectively an included central recess and a surrounding recess separated irom said central recess by said inner wall portion, and a bottom wall common to both of said recesses and extendins beyond said outer wall as an enclosing relatively flat rim flange ailording an extended stabilizing bearing adapted to prevent accidental tippl s of the receptacle when placed ona horisontal support.

' RICHARD L. EMERY. 

